Lyrics The Ballad of Jay and Rose Mary - Strawbs

The Ballad of Jay and Rose Mary

The sun was rising slowly
Furnace hot at dawn
Jay was in his hammock
Whittling on a horn
I was in the kitchen
Munching stale cakes
Thinking about Rose Mary
And how the cookie breaks
All in all it’s just another down-home day
Rose Mary was nineteen
Slender as a wand
Jay was something else
A bullfrog in a pond
A viper in disguise
A rattler in a sack
If you cared to call it
He would double slap you back
Rose Mary was smitten
She fell for Jay in style
Just like Robert Mitchum
Full of menace with a smile
Fluttered her eye lashes
Half an inch of hunch
Jay was like a school-boy
A kid in need of lunch
Jay took her to a diner
And told her of his power
He checked into a hotel room
But only booked an hour
Rose Mary was no mug
She didn’t miss a thing
When Jay stepped on the gas
Whipping off his ring
His wedding ring was buried
In the pocket of his pants
Which Rose Mary was going through
While Jay was scratching ants
He opened up the bathroom door
Feeling ill at ease
But Rose Mary was long gone
With his clothing and his keys
I was getting ready
To round up missing steers
When Rose Mary came knocking
In a crocodile of tears
She asked me what my name was
I said my name was Jay
She asked me did I sleep well
I said most every day
They say that money talks
Mine just said goodbye